With basketball season in the rear view mirror, Keshawn Lawrence has spent the last month focusing on football, and for the first time in over four months, Tennessee had one of the best in-state 2020 prospects back on campus Saturday.

The Ensworth (Tenn.) cornerback made his first return to Rocky Top since Terry Fair, his closest coach on staff and his area recruiter, was fired in February. Yesterday was finally an opportunity to truly get to know new defensive backs coach and coordinator Derrick Ansley, and per Lawrence’s estimation, Tennessee certainly helped themselves.

“It went smooth,” Lawrence told Volquest.

“I coach to see how coach Ansley coached hands-on. Coach Ansley apologized for missing my junior year, but he had a great opportunity to go coach in the NFL, so it really was a win-lose situation. But he wants to build the same relationship I had with coach Fair. He showed me what he can do with me, how he wants to coach me.

Lawrence is one of Tennessee’s biggest priorities in the 2020 class. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound defensive back holds more than 20 offers, with Miami, where he visited earlier this month, Ole Miss, LSU and Auburn making him a big priority. Clemson is in the mix, too, while Tennessee assuaged some concerns Lawrence had after Fair was ousted.

“It did a lot,” said Lawrence, who spent time going over film with Ansley and had a long chat with head coach Jeremy Pruitt, too.

“I know coach Ansley a lot more than before. It was good to finally meet him. He’s real. He’s a real thorough person. He’s not going to lie to you and just kiss your butt. He’s going to tell you what it takes to be great. He wants everybody to be successful, in my opinion. He’s a real good dude. I like how he coaches. We’re building that bond.”

Lawrence visited Tennessee three times in 2018, including the win over Kentucky in mid-November. But he believes he saw a different team on the field during Saturday’s scrimmage, one more mature, talented and focused.

“They’ve changed a lot,” he said.

“I feel like they’re taking things more seriously now. They feel like a team now. They’re having fun but still working. I liked it.”

Lawrence, who will visit LSU next weekend, recently released a Top 10 list that included Tennessee, Miami, LSU, USC, Ole Miss, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon. Miami is a real factor, as Lawrence said he has the best relationships with ‘Canes coaches Mike Rumph and Ephriam Banda, but the Vols are firmly back in that top group after Saturday’s visit.

Lawrence “vibed” with Ansley and heard Pruitt’s message loud and clear.

“If you look at their track record, there’s not many coaches who have put that many DBs in the league like they (Pruitt and Ansley) have. They’re one of the best, if not the best, so why not go to Tennessee?,” he said.

“Basically that’s what Pruitt told me. Why not come here and win a championship here?”